Field dressing knife

ABSTRACT

A knife includes a body that includes a handle section, a substantially circular blade housing section, and a blade including a cutting edge having substantially the same radius of curvature of the blade housing. The substantially circular blade housing section extends substantially perpendicular from the handle section. The blade extends longitudinally out of the blade housing at a position substantially 180° away from the position of the handle section along the circumference of the blade housing and terminates in a sharp point. The width of the blade at the portion immediately adjacent to the blade housing and opposite the blade point is substantially equal to the diameter of the blade housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/948,574, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,951,100, issued Feb. 10, 2015,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/680,536,now U.S. Pat. No. 8,512,107, issued Aug. 20, 2013, which claims priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/669,860, filed on Jul. 10,2012, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a knife for complete field dressing ofhunted game.

BACKGROUND

Field dressing is the process of removing the internal organs and skinof hunted game. Proper field dressing is an essential first step inpreventing the growth of disease-causing bacteria and preserving themeat from animals harvested in the wild. Field dressing must be done assoon as possible in order to ensure rapid body heat loss and to preventbacterial growth from the internal organs and body fluids from spreadingthrough the carcass, thus ensuring than the meat stays fit for humanconsumption and improving the overall quality of the meat.

Field dressing is generally carried out with conventional single bladehunting or skinning knives. A conventional knife may be used to make anincision by the point of the knife blade through the skin and theabdominal wall of the carcass, and then the skin of the animal may becut away by the blade. Great care must be taken so as not to puncturethe intestines or the stomach of the animal with the point of the knifesince this would spoil the meat and the hide of the animal. Onetechnique commonly used by hunters is to grasp a conventional knife withthe blade facing upwards to avoid cutting the intestines and theentrails. Another commonly used technique is to insert two fingers (oneon each side of the knife blade) into the incision, pushing theintestines and the entrails down and away from the knife.

Conventional knives are generally not well suited for field dressingoperations because the tip of a conventional knife blade is pointed.With a pointed-end blade configuration, the occurrence of undesirablecutting or perforation of meat or internal organs is highly probable,since it is very difficult to tightly control the depth of thepenetration of a conventional knife blade so as to avoid such cutting orperforation. If the hunter is an experienced field dresser, he or shemay make only a few small nicks in the carcass. If he or she is anovice, attempting to field dress an animal with a conventional knifemay result in significant damage to the meat and a potential loss of theentire carcass.

Other tools available to hunters for field dressing include single bladeknives with a gut hook built in into the back of the blade, such as, forexample, a disposable skinning knife “Gerber E-Z Zip Gut Hook Blade”from Gerber. However, these knives are usually too small to field dresslarge game and are very difficult to sharpen. The “Gerber E-Z Zip GutHook Blade” knife has a small handle which is awkward to use and iseasily breakable.

It would therefore be a significant advance in the art to provide amultifunctional, safe, strong and easy to use field dressing knife bywhich small and large game may be field dressed, and which is designedto overcome the aforementioned perforation and cutting difficultiesassociated with the conventional skinning or hunting knives.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a safe andmultifunctional field dressing knife with multiple interchangeableblades which are quickly and easily removable. An object of thisinvention is to provide a field dressing knife (guided skinner) withimproved blade housing which allows the user to control the depth of thepenetration of the blade so as to avoid cutting or perforation of meator internal organs of the animal. The field dressing knife describedherein enables a user to cut the hide of the animal and remove it fromthe carcass without damaging the meat of the animal. The field dressingknife according to the present invention also includes an improved griphandle which is designed to provide both right-handed and left-handedusers with improved leverage and control for field dressing an animalcarcass.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be more readily understood by referring to theaccompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the knife according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded side view showing the grip handle of the knife.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the blade.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view of the knife according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the blade.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an embodiment of the blade.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the knife according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the knife according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9A is a side view of the knife according an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9B is a side view of the knife according an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9C is a side view of the knife according an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9D is a side view of the knife according an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9E is a side view of the knife according an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a field dressing knife 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The knife10 includes a body having an elongated handle section 12 and a bladehousing section 14. The body of the knife 10 can be formed in two planarsections with a space for a blade 16 between the two planar sections.The blade 16 includes a guided skinning edge 16a and a gut/hide hookcutting edge 16b.

The blade 16 extends above the top edge 18 of the blade housing section14 and/or below the bottom edge 20 of the blade housing section 14. Insome embodiments, the skinning edge 16a of the blade 16 has a width thatextends beyond the bottom edge 20 of the blade housing section 14. Theclose proximity of the bottom edge 20 of the blade housing section 14 tothe skinning edge 16a enables the bottom edge 20 of the blade housingsection 14 to function as a guard that prevents the skinning edge 16afrom entering a carcass deep enough to damage the meat, the hide of theanimal and/or the internal organs of the carcass during field dressing.The proximity of the bottom edge 20 of the blade housing section 14 tothe skinning edge 16 may be less than 0.25 inch.

The top edge 18 of the blade housing section 14 may terminate in a hookportion 22 which extends beyond the cutting edge 16b of the blade 16.The hook portion 22 lifts the skin and/or hide of a carcass away fromthe meat and/or internal organs of the carcass as the cutting edge 16bis moved through the carcass during field dressing, thereby preventingthe cutting edge 16b from undesirable cutting or perforation of the meatand/or internal organs of the carcass.

The elongated handle section 12 includes a proximal end 12a, a distalend 12b, and a center 12c that is approximately equidistant between theproximal end 12a and the distal end 12b. A bore 24 extends through theproximal end 12a of the elongated handle section 12. An elongated griphandle extends through, and is dimensioned to fit, the bore 24 at theproximal end 12a of the elongated handle section 12.

The length dimension of the elongated handle section 12 may be betweenabout 2 inches and about 4 inches. The width dimension at the proximalend 12a of the elongated handle section 12 may be between about 0.75inches and about 2 inches. The width dimension at the distal end 12b ofthe elongated handle section 12 may be between about 0.75 inches andabout 2 inches. The width dimension at the center 12c of the elongatedhandle section 12 may be between about 0.25 inches and about 1 inch. Thewidth dimensions of 12a, 12b, and 12c may be generally perpendicular tothe length dimension of the elongated handle section 12.

The distal end 12b of the elongated handle section 12 is coupled to anend of the blade housing section 14. The elongated handle section 12 maybe formed substantially perpendicular to the blade housing section 14.The elongated handle section 12 and the blade housing section 14 may beformed from high grade aluminum, reinforced plastic, or any number ofother suitable materials.

The blade housing section 14 includes a front end 14a and a back end14b. The length dimension 14c of the blade housing section 14 may bebetween about 2 inches and about 5 inches. The width dimension at thefront end 14a of the blade housing section 14 may be between about 1.5inches and about 4 inches. The width dimension at back end 14b of theblade housing section 14 may be between about 0.75 inches and about 2inches. The blade housing section 14 has width dimensions 14a and 14bgenerally perpendicular to the length direction 14c.

The blade housing section 14 includes means to connect the two planarsections. The blade housing section 14 may be provided with alignedpassages 28a and 28b. The aligned passages 28a and 28b are located nearthe opposite ends of the blade housing section 14 and are aligned withpassages in the blade 16 to provide a continuous passageway through thetwo planar sections of the blade housing section 14 and the blade 16.The aligned passages 28a and 28b may be circular in shape. The alignedpassages 28a and 28b may be threaded to receive screws or bolts toconnect the two planar sections of the blade housing section 14, withthe blade 16 sandwiched between the two planar sections of the bladehousing section 14. The two planar sections of the blade housing section14 may be separated, if required, to remove and replace or sharpen theblade 16. In other embodiments, any other mechanism can be used toconnect the two planar sections of the blade housing section 14 togetherwith the blade 16 sandwiched between the two planar sections of theblade housing section 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, an elongated grip handle 26 can be formed in twoparts, a male part 30 and a female part 32. The elongated handle section12 and the elongated grip handle 26 are dimensioned to fit comfortablyin the hand of the user, and are preferably designed for use by bothright-handed and left-handed persons. The female part 32 has a lengthdimension which is sized to be about twice the length dimension of themale part 30. For a right handed user, the male part 30 may bepositioned on the right side of the elongated grip handle 28, and thefemale part 32 may be positioned on the left side of the elongated griphandle 26. This orientation of the male part 30 and the female part 32provides sufficient gripping space on male part 30 for the thumb of aright-handed user and ensures improved control of the knife 10 duringfield dressing. For a left-handed user, the positions of the male part30 and the female part 32 may be reversed, providing sufficient grippingspace for the thumb of a left-handed user on the male part 30 andensuring improved control of the knife 10 during field dressing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the blade 16 has a first planar side, a secondplanar side, a front end 16c, a back end 16d, and at least one cuttingedge. The blade 16 is preferably formed from a suitable metal such asstainless steel. The first planar side and the second planar side of theblade 16 are in contact with and sandwiched between the two planarsections of the blade housing section 14. The length dimension of theblade 16 may be between about 2 inches and about 5 inches. The widthdimension at the front end 16c of the blade 16 may be between about 1.5inches and about 3 inches. The width dimension at the back end 16d ofthe blade 16 may be between about 0.75 inches and about 2 inches. Theblade 16 has width dimensions 16c and 16d that are generallyperpendicular to the length dimension 16. The blade 16 may include themeans for aligning the blade inside the blade housing section 14. Insome embodiments, the blade 16 may include passages 34 and 36 forinsertion of alignment tabs. The passages 34 and 36 may receive screw orbolts that are threaded through the aligned passages 28a and 28b inFIG. 1. In other embodiments, any other mechanism can be used to alignthe blade 16 inside the blade housing section 14. The blade 16 includesthe guided skinning edge 16a and/or the hook cutting edge 16b. The blade16 has a substantially convex guided skinning edge 16a and/or asubstantially concave hook cutting edge 16b. The curvature of theconcave hook cutting edge 16b of the blade 16 may be generally similarto the curvature of concave top edge 18 of the blade housing section 14in FIG. 1. The curvature of the convex skinning edge 16a of the blade 16may be generally similar to the curvature of convex bottom edge 20 ofthe blade housing section 14 in FIG. 1

As shown in FIG. 4, the blade 16 is designed to fit inside the bladehousing section 14 sandwiched between two planar sections parts 38 and40. The guided skinning edge 16a of blade 16 extends outside the bladehousing section such that two planar sections 38 and 40 of the housingact as a guide for the skinning edge 16a of blade 16, which prevents theskinning edge 16a of blade 16 from cutting the meat and the hide. Thetwo planar sections 38 and 40 of the housing also provide forinterchangeable blades so that the blade can be easily replaced whendull. The housing also enables the blade as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 to beused.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the blade 16 which includes thesubstantially concave hook cutting edge 16b and a substantially flatopposing surface 42 without a sharp edge. The curvature of concave hookcutting edge 16b of the blade 16 according to this embodiment may begenerally similar to the curvature of top edge 20 of the blade housingsection 14 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the blade 16 which includes the hookcutting edge 16b and the skinning edge 16a. The blade 16 also includescutting edge 16c that extends around the back side of the blade 16 andterminates in a sharp point 44. The cutting edge 16c can be used as aconventional blade for general purpose cutting. FIG. 7 illustrates anembodiment of knife 10 which includes the blade shown in FIG. 6contained in the blade housing.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of knife 80 which only includes askinning edge 16a that extends outside the blade housing section suchthat two planar sections 38 and 40 (shown in FIG. 4) of the housing actas a guide for the skinning edge 16a. This prevents the skinning edge16a from cutting the meat and the hide. The two planar sections of thehousing also provide for interchangeable blades so that the blade can beeasily replaced when dull.

While the description above illustrates embodiments of gaming andskinning knives, the inventive housing and handle combination can alsobe used for other types of knife designs such as those illustrated inFIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D and 9E.

The foregoing embodiments are merely examples of the present invention.Those skilled in the art may make numerous uses of, and departures from,such embodiments, without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention isnot to be limited or defined by such embodiments in any way, but rather,is defined solely by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A knife comprising: a body having a handlesection secured to a substantially circular edge of a planar bladehousing section that extends substantially perpendicular from the handlesection, wherein the handle section is rigidly affixed to the bladehousing section at a position along the circumference of the housing;and a blade having a convex cutting edge affixed within the bladehousing section, wherein the blade extends longitudinally out of theblade housing section at a position along the circumference of the bladehousing substantially 180° away from the position of the handle sectionalong the circumference of the blade housing, wherein the width of theblade immediately adjacent to the blade housing is substantially equalto the diameter of the blade housing and wherein the convex cutting edgeof the blade has substantially the same radius of curvature as the bladehousing.
 2. The knife of claim 1, wherein a bore extends through aproximal end of the handle section.
 3. The knife of claim 2, wherein agrip handle extends through the bore in the proximal end of the handlesection, wherein the grip handle is substantially perpendicular to thebody, and wherein the grip handle is interchangeable to accommodate aright-hander user and a left-handed user.
 4. A knife of claim 1, whereinthe body of the knife is formed in two parts that enable separation ofthe body for at least one of replacing the blade and sharpening theblade, and wherein the body includes means for connecting the two parts.5. A knife comprising: a body having a handle section and a bladehousing section that extends transversely from the handle section, thehandle section including a proximal end, a distal end, and a lengththerebetween, the blade housing section having a front end, a back end,a top edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the top edge extends between thefront end and the handle section and the bottom edge extends between thefront end and the back end; a first cutting edge coupled to the bladehousing section, the first cutting edge extending from the top edge ofthe blade housing section, wherein the first cutting edge is concave andoriginates and terminates at the top edge; and a second cutting edgecoupled to the blade housing section, the second cutting edge extendingfrom the bottom edge of the blade housing section, wherein the secondcutting edge originates and terminates at the bottom edge; wherein oneof the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge is curved along amajority of a length thereof.
 6. The knife of claim 5, wherein thesecond cutting edge extends less than 0.25 inches past the bottom edgeof the blade housing section.
 7. The knife of claim 5, wherein the firstcutting edge and the second cutting edge are separate edges of a singleblade.
 8. The knife of claim 7, wherein the body of the knife is formedof two removably coupled parts and the blade is disposed at leastpartially between the two parts.
 9. The knife of claim 5, wherein thesecond cutting edge is convex.
 10. A knife comprising: a body having ahandle section and a blade housing section that extends transverselyfrom the handle section, the handle section including a proximal end, adistal end, and a length therebetween, the blade housing section havinga top edge and a bottom edge; a first cutting edge coupled to the bladehousing section, the first cutting edge extending from the top edge ofthe blade housing section, wherein the first cutting edge is concave asecond cutting edge coupled to the blade housing section, the secondcutting edge extending from the bottom edge of the blade housingsection; wherein one of the first cutting edge and the second cuttingedge is curved along a majority of a length thereof; and a grip handleextending transversely from the proximal end of the handle section ofthe body, wherein a length of the grip handle is substantiallyperpendicular to the length of the handle section and a length of theblade housing section.
 11. The knife of claim 10, wherein the griphandle is removably coupled to the handle section of the body.
 12. Aknife comprising: a body having a handle section and a blade housingsection that extends transversely from the handle section, the handlesection including a proximal end, a distal end, and a lengththerebetween, the blade housing section having a front end, a back end,a top edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the top edge extends between thefront end and the handle section and the bottom edge extends between thefront end and the back end; and a blade at least partially disposedwithin the blade housing section, the blade including a first cuttingedge extending from the top edge of the blade housing section, whereinthe first cutting edge is concave and originates and terminates at thetop edge, and a second cutting edge extending from the bottom edge ofthe blade housing section, wherein the second cutting edge originatesand terminates at the bottom edge.
 13. The knife of claim 12, whereinthe second cutting edge is convex.
 14. The knife of claim 13, whereinthe body of the knife is formed of two parts removably coupled togetherby a fastener.
 15. The knife of claim 14, further comprising: a griphandle extending transversely from the proximal end of the handlesection of the body, wherein a length of the grip handle is transverseto the length of the handle section and the length of the blade housingsection.
 16. The knife of claim 15, wherein the grip handle is removablycoupled to the handle section of the body.